luv's Good News Network

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/10-year-old-swoops-into-dc-to-support-recycling-bill/

A young recycling phenom named Ryan Hickman visited Capitol Hill last month to give a significant push to a society-wide standardized labeling system designed to eliminate recycling confusion and contamination—and he was delighted by the bipartisan support for the bill, which would require the U.S. EPA to adopt the labels at a federal level by February.

The Greta Thunberg of recycling, Ryan established his own recycling company when he was just three-years-old—and since then, Ryan’s Recycling has properly diverted over a half million cans and bottles.

An international advocate who has appeared on Ellen and many news outlets, the boy from Los Angles became a spokesperson this year for the standardized label initiative, a solution that was introduced by Recycle Across America (RAA) to solve the most serious and costly issue for the industry.

The partnership comes at a time when U.S. recycling is facing crippling challenges that can be directly traced to public confusion at the bin, and the subsequent ‘garbage’ thrown in with recyclables.

That’s why Ryan went to DC, backing congressional efforts to rescue recycling from life-support and get it back on its feet.

There are nine million of these standardized recycling labels already in use in national parks, airports, stadiums, schools, businesses, and on residential bins, thanks to Michelle (Mitch) Hedlund, the founder and CEO of RAA, who designed the labels herself ten years ago using the same common-sense approach that was used to create the road signs Americans rely on daily.

These labels have proven to increase recycling levels between 50-100%, while significantly reducing the contamination of trash. RAA, a nonprofit based in Minneapolis, is already funding a ‘Ryan Hickman Grant’ so that free labels can be donated to K-12 public schools across the country.

Rhode Island became the first state to adopt a society-wide standardized labeling solution in 2016. Today, with 85,000 labels displayed on bins around the state, the state’s recycling facility has already experienced an 18% reduction of rejected truckloads, and America’s smallest state continues to experience strong demand for its plastics, cans, and bottles.

The Appropriation bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June, included language supported by both Democrats and Republicans that requires the EPA to submit a national recycling strategy and budget for using the labels to the appropriations committee by the end of February.

Republicans backers in the Senate, Senators Rob Portman, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan, have already joined Democrats—Sen. Tom Udall and Congressman Rep. Alan Lowenthal—who are all on record as supporting the initiative. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) already held a Recycling Summit last November, and a followup meeting this week that RAA hopes included discussions about the labeling.

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https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/worlds-first-taproom-that-also-houses-foster-dogs/

You can get much more than just a pint of beer at this Oregon taphouse.

Fido’s Taphouse is being hailed as the world’s first bar and restaurant that also doubles as a foster home for pups that were rescued from kill shelters in central California.

Since the Portland-based establishment opened in 2018, they have helped 70 different shelter dogs find homes.

Fido’s founder Scott Porter says that he was inspired to launch the taphouse after he learned about cat cafés. Additionally, he hopes that the foster dogs will help give families the same kind of love and therapeutic support that his own dogs have offered to him.

LOOK: When Animal Shelter Uses Area 51 Internet Meme to Appeal for Adoptions, They Are Flooded With Support

“My own dogs helped me through some pretty severe depression,” he told TODAY in the video interview below. “They were extremely loving and attentive to me. And they understood that I was going through some tough times.”

The bar typically accommodates three or four shelter dogs at a time in a room that is separated from the dining area, although their facilities are equipped to house eight. If a potential adopter decides to adopt one of the lucky pups, they are required to wait three days before signing the paperwork so staffers can be sure that alcohol did not influence their decision.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50646075

Meet Eva - she's nine and the emergency services love her to bits!

And there's a pretty cool reason why.

Eva who's from Lancashire wrote 12 different letters to NHS and police staff and left them on parked vehicles.

She also left them a bar of chocolate to let them know she thought they were "awesome".

It all comes after Eva watched a YouTube clip of NHS staff and police officers doing their job.

 

Crawling little ****

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50683948

A five-year-old boy in Michigan has invited his whole kindergarten class to witness his legal adoption - and warmed hearts across the world.

The youngster, identified as Michael, formally joined his new family at Kent County court on Thursday.

A photo shared by Kent County on Facebook showed the little boy relaxing in an adult-sized courtroom chair, next to his adoptive parents.

Behind them, his classmates happily waved paper hearts on sticks.

During the hearing, each child introduced themselves and explained why they had come to celebrate.

"Michael is my best friend," said a small boy named Steven.

"My name is Lily and I love Michael," a little girl told Judge Patricia Gardner, who wore a necklace of Christmas decorations for the occasion.

"We began the school year as a family," Michael's teacher said. "Family doesn't have to be DNA, because family is support and love."

The group of classmates, teachers and parents broke into cheers and applause as Michael and his parents banged the judge's gavel, completing the process.

Thursday was Kent County court's annual Adoption Day, and 37 children were "lovingly and officially welcomed by their families", the county wrote on Facebook.

"Sometimes their journeys have been very long. They've included miracle and change for the children and family, and incredible community support - as you're able to see today in Michael's adoption hearing," the Honorable Judge Patricia Gardner said, according to local ABC affiliate 13 On Your Side.

"His whole kindergarten class and school being here to say 'we love you,' and 'we support you' and 'we'll be here not only today, but in all the years in the future.'"

Filmed outside the courtroom for local television, the five-year-old declared, "I love my daddy!" as his father visibly welled up.

The picture showing Michael and his class has since been shared more than 100,000 times on Facebook.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.li...-cheer-on-annual-christmas-visit-to-alder-hey

The Liverpool first-team squad and manager Jürgen Klopp made their annual Christmas visit to Alder Hey Children's Hospital on Thursday afternoon.

After training at Melwood, Klopp and his players made the short journey from the training ground to the West Derby hospital to meet with patients and staff.

They visited three wards at the hospital, delivering LFC goody bags, chatting with patients and their families, signing autographs and posing for photographs.

The team also met a very special oncology patient, 12-year-old Joseph, and presented him with a Reds shirt signed by his favourite player, Virgil van Dijk.

Club chaplain and Red Neighbours team member, Bill Bygroves, was joined by LFC mascot Mighty Red in the hospital’s Christmas grotto area to entertain patients and their families with festive music, and the Champions League trophy was also on display for patients and staff to have their picture taken with.